¶ … Surviving NBC's Upheaval" by Bill Carter concerns NBC Universal's current situation under the leadership of Jeff Zucker. According to his supporters, Mr. Zucker has been an asset to the U.S.A. Network ever since he joined the team. Others, however, cite his most recent move of Jay Leno to prime time along with other programming blunders, in support of their negative opinion. Among the turmoil of dissenting opinion and financial losses, Mr. Zucker is also facing negotiations between General Electric and possible buyer Comcast to change the ownership of NBC.

The article appears to be a good depiction of both sides of the opinion that focuses on Mr. Zucker. Both supporters and non-supporters make good points. Supporters cite Mr. Zucker's successful history with various ventures to demonstrate the validity of their loyalty to him. It is also true that the current situation in terms of revenue and ratings losses, as well as poor programming and personnel decisions, have taken its toll on the network. It therefore appears easy to blame Jeff Zucker, especially after his Jay Leno decision.

Interestingly, the article appears to mostly focus on the feud between Zucker supporters and non-supporters, rather than upon the possible purchase of the network by Comcast. The only information about the two companies involved, G.E. And Comcast, occurs at the beginning of the article. I find this aspect somewhat confusing. It creates an expectation of further information later in the article, but the focus appears to move away to the issue of Zucker.

In general, however, I enjoyed reading the article, perhaps not least because of its fairly sensational content. Certainly, Mr. Zucker's blunders at NBC are much more entertaining than a factual presentation of Comcast's ability to handle ownership or make sound decisions regarding the future of the network. Perhaps one should follow the advice of the supporting camp, and wait to see what developments take place in the long-term. Perhaps there will be some surprises.